28th March and Custom Cages have still not completed the Baggy Roll cage! Indeed they told me on Wednesday that "they were going to start tomorrow" as though this was something to be proud of! April 1st is the current completion date but I am not holding my breath. March 14th delivery was their original promise.

Sparco and Grand Prix Racewear have also let me down with none of the FIA clothing being ready (Helmet, overalls and gloves). The lack of HANS fittings is the problem on the helmet and with my spinal problems I am reluctant to risk more neck damage by having only a basic helmet. I also specified an open face helmet that I can use on my 'bikes. They didn't have a race suit in my size either. I'm not that fat (stop that laughter at the back) after all my racing driver hero from the 1960's, Gerry Marshall, must have been well over 130kg! Maybe he had to wait a long time for his race suit?

The trimmers have not started re-covering the driver's and navigator's seats but that is my fault as I have only just got the location and size of the safety harness holes in the headrests. Now I need to cut some metal and then they can start.

So the next event on April 19th looks very tight where MSA/FIA approved kit is required not to mention the modifications to the car such as roll cage, battery cutoff switch etc etc.! Maybe the repainting will have to wait until later?

The delay is so frustrating - to think that we could have done another three weeks work on the car while Custom Cages have been doing nothing.

Custom Cages sent three pictures of their work late on Thursday evening. We talked about them on Friday and I am collecting the car on Monday. Most of the final welding has yet to be done but that was what I intended to do originally.

GPR tell me that I can collect the FIA racing clothes also on Monday. Helmet and gloves are also there.

I was looking for a supplier of the links that join the ends of the anti-roll bar to the front lower wishbones. I had heard that they were difficult to get and I was considering using similar things from Nissan or Hyundai. To my great surprise one of my local parts suppliers told me that he could get them after a few days wait. The manufacturer is in England called Quinton Hazell. Leave me a message if you need part numbers.

They have an on-line catalogue system and lists of parts can be downloaded in *.pdf format.

Check under "Matra", "Talbot", "Simca" or "Chrysler" in each section. You will find Bagheera, Murena and Rancho parts under their own name as well as the equivalent parts for the Alpine, Horizon and Solara. Brake discs, suspension parts, clutches, fuel pumps and many others. Worth checking!

So my team will be hard at work on Tuesday if they have not found other things to do with their spare time.

The roll cage photos supplied by Custom Cages were embedded within their email rather than sent as separate JPG images. I (or AOL) always have a struggle viewing those images as AOL provides only a small window (like a "letterbox slot") to look at them.

I will take some new photos when we have collected the car today, not least because I want to record what they did before we start to weld fully all the joints.

They say they have added some extra parts to their basic 4 point cage and not charged me for them as compensation for the long time they have taken. We will now have "Door bars" running along the side of the seats to prevent side intrusion and the "Petit Bar" from the top of the main hoop to the floor at the front. The horizontal bar behind the seats to secure the shoulder straps of the 4 point safety harnesses to would also have been an extra charge. Let us see what their quality is like!

Today was mixed progress! We fitted the roll cage for the final time and it all went together just fine.

Then we sorted out the extra throttle return spring that FIA/MSA require, so that was good progress too. Even my new Sparco race seat seems to fit after the roll cage was installed with only a new adapter plate to make.

Then the ignition key broke in the lock in the ignition ON position and I spent the next four hours trying, unsuccessfully, to remove the barrel without destroying the instrument panel. It is out now and tomorrow's first job is to fit my spare steering column.

I also think I cooked the coil by leaving the ignition switched on without the engine running. There was no spark and it only returned to normal operation after about 30 minutes. I have not seen this before in 30 years of Bagheera ownership. Wierd. I have ordered another coil just in case.

Got to be there on Sunday!

There are three Matra in the "Post 1971 sports car class". Graham Prime in his 2.2 Sprint Talbot Matra Murena and our Baggy Joe driven by me and my son Phil. The rest are Alpines, R8 Gordinis and a Marcadier Can Am owned by friend Tony Gomis. Prizes unlikely then!

It is in five pieces:1) The main rear hoop with a diagonal bar and horizontal "harness bars" for the safety harness shoulder straps;2 and 3) the "A" bars that go from the outer upper corners of the main hoop to the floor by the occupants feet;4) the "Petit Bar" from the top of the main hoop to the floor at the front of the cabin and5) the screen bar across the top of the screen.

They are joined to each other by tubes with bolt holes for M10 bolts and nuts. I welded the nuts in place to make it easier to assemble and remove perhaps.

Any bars near the occupants helmets must have hard foam padding.

Getting all the bolts to align (having drilled all the holes myself) was the critical item and I am pleased to report that they all fitted in the end! Next time I will go for the fully welded-in cage and not bother with removeability.

Next time I will go for the fully welded-in cage and not bother with removeability.

Next time... isn't one race car enough?

It looks very sturdy, and I can't help thinking that a cage like that must be a bit heavy on the Bagheera? Have you been abe to do some weight reductions like replacing glass with polycarbonate, stripping interior etc?

The cage is heavy, at least equal to the weight of a modest size passenger.

Weight saving is very desirable but all my effort has been towards getting the car to Prescott "La Vie En Bleu" by this weekend. We still expect that to happen although this morning we have decided to go there on Saturday rather than Friday afternoon to gain an extra day. It is that tight!

The "Modified" class allows a wide variety of possible weight reductions including replacing glass with plastic.

Scope for lots of advice from knowledgeable people such as you Matristi on this forum!

One of the French entrants at Prescott, in my class, is the French orgainser of the Franco-Brittanique Hill Climb challenge the French part of which is in late August at Etretat near Le Havre. I have been encouraged to seek an entry as he is keen to introduce new competitors and although Baggy is too young he may be persuaded to allow a mere 31year old car to enter!